


Eternal Love

by Herk



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon
Genre: Complete, F/F, Gen, I LOVE Haruka/Michiru but this is about Uranus and Neptune only, It's an epic love story spanning aeons, One True Pairing, This is NOT a Michiru/Haruka fic, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-26 08:54:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10783575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Herk/pseuds/Herk
Summary: There are many great love stories told throughout the ages, many lovers whose bond has become a legend among the stars but none greater than that of the two warriors known as Uranus and Neptune.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for my very own Beloved because I've written too little in fandoms we both share so far. Also she bemoaned the lack of good Uranus/Neptune fic. There can never be enough good Uranus/Neptune fic.
> 
> I tried for a different tone with this one to fit the epic fairytale like feeling, so let me know what you think.
> 
> Also like always thanks to my awesome beta Dimar <3

_ There are many great love stories told throughout the ages, many lovers whose bond has become a legend among the stars but none greater than that of the two warriors known as Uranus and Neptune. _

 

In a world where the stars and the moons and the planets themselves have souls it’s only a question of when not if those souls will wake up.

 

*

 

When she first opened her eyes, she had no idea who or what she was. She only knew - to the very core of her being - that danger was closing in, that death and destruction threatened that which was under her protection.

 

The universe was still young, her own solar system barely formed. And yet the power of her planet cursed through her every fiber. She could sense others like herself not too far away - closer than herself to the fast approaching danger.

 

They were fighting. The attacker had already defeated the outermost guardian. She had fallen - still alive but beaten and helpless for now. The attacker travelled on, weakened but still a great danger to everything in its path.

 

She knew she was supposed to stay here at her home, her place of power, to be the next line of defense.

 

But seeing the other guardian fight, seeing the blue light shine through the darkness of the void separating them - in a way completely unrelated to the physical phenomenon - she couldn’t hold back.

 

In those first moments of awareness the warrior broke the commanding presence of duty, disobeyed the rules laid out by the universe herself and was at the side of the blue haired guardian.

 

They were young.

 

They were inexperienced.

 

They were magnificent.

 

But the enemies were many and powerful. Their fight lasted a whole day and a whole night and when it was over they sank to their knees, wounded and exhausted.

 

For the first time the other warrior looked at her in amazed astonishment. 

 

She shouldn’t be here.

 

Yet without her help the other warrior would have lost. 

 

When the other guardian looked at her from beneath her hair flowing like an ocean, a smile graced her features and it was the most beautiful thing the soul of the planet of the thousand winds had ever seen. 

 

Before she could say anything she was yanked back though and found herself back on her own planet - a giant world, huge, powerful, and absolutely devoid of any life but her own. Trapped as the lone guardian, she took comfort in the memories of that graceful smile.

*

 

Aeons came and went. The solar system changed. Their planets wandered, sometimes closer, sometimes farther apart.

 

One day the dark guardian of the outermost world, the one she had seen but once, appeared on her world.

 

“Greetings, Uranus - king of the winds.”

 

And she knew then that that was her name and had always been and she knew the nature of the soldier before her.

 

“Welcome Pluto - guardian of time. I am surprised to see you here.”

 

“Like my planet, I walk on unusual paths. And times are changing.”

 

The moment Pluto said it, Uranus knew it to be true. She felt the methane winds of her world telling her of change to come.

 

“You’ve been punished with isolation for leaving your post. But your actions might have stopped greater evil. And your punishment is over.”

 

The red orb at the end of Pluto’s staff began to glow and Uranus felt others for the first time.

 

“You, me, Neptune - we are tasked with protecting this system from outside dangers. But we aren’t tasked to do this alone.”

 

Hearing the name of the blue haired warrior for the first time, Uranus knew it immediately, and her heart beat violently in response to the sound. 

 

The glow of Pluto’s orb was accompanied by a song or a call just beyond the range of hearing. The other presences came closer, until she was surrounded by a group of smaller, younger, weaker guardians like herself and and Pluto.

 

One after the other they took a step forward and identified themselves. Uranus knew each of them and understood their nature as they spoke their names. She felt protective affection for them all.

 

“You are a princess and they will keep you company but first and foremost…”

 

“I’m a warrior  - my duty will always be to protect them and others.”

 

“And make the necessary sacrifices.” Pluto agreed.

 

And Uranus knew that meant staying here, on her world, at her post, no matter what she might wish for herself.

 

In the palace on her planet Uranus had everything she needed but one thing.

 

While Oberon and Titania and the others kept her company during the endless days, the blue haired princess of Neptune haunted her nights.

 

Whenever Uranus slept, she dreamed...


	2. The Plains

She was a dancer, daughter of the chieftain and known far and wide as the most beautiful maiden among the tribes. With a dead mother and a father who adored her, she had more freedom than any other woman she knew. But even though she enjoyed all these freedoms, she knew that she was considered of age and soon a man would be chosen to be with her - only politics had so far spared her. 

 

The Daughter of Otters was afraid of when the day would come when she was wed. 

 

No one had so far won her heart and she feared she would lose her sure footing and elegance once her belly swelled with child. One day she wanted children - of course she did - but she hadn’t met any man she’d want to be the father of such a child.

 

And if it meant giving up the dance - she would rather sacrifice the opportunity to bear a baby than the ability to dance under the stars.

 

Her tribe was on the way to meet with the others during the spring equilibrium under the new moon on the Eastern plains. 

 

She knew she would dance there and everyone would watch and maybe her future lover would be there as well, basking in the glory of her dance, a face among dozens.

 

*

 

Among the tribes of the plains, hers was the most fierce and proud. They allowed their daughters to become warriors and the ridicule of the other tribes died quickly when the women wearing the mark of the warrior proved their worth.

 

Among the members of her tribe, she was the fiercest and proudest and no one had the heart to stand up to her. She was known as Sister of Cheetah, for all her strength and courage held no comparison to her swiftness as she ran like the wind.

 

When her tribe went to the Eastern plains for the spring celebrations, she led the way with pride and joy. All the other tribes were beneath her notice but she looked forward to the wine and song and competition to celebrate the birth of the new year.

 

Sister of Cheetah walked with her clanspeople between the tents and they laughed and flirted and had no sorrow in the world. Their chieftain had allowed them the afternoon off and no duties awaited them until morning. She smiled easily at a daughter of the Horse Tribe weaving a mat. The other tribes never knew what to make of her or her tribe-sisters, whether to treat them as warriors or women. And when she flirted they all blushed with insecurity or anger.

 

It amused her to no end. Her fellow warriors laughed; the more domestic tribes and their traditions were adorable to their adolescent minds. 

 

They amused themselves until the sun went down.

 

And when the stars came out, she found herself with only two of her clanmates next to her, right by a candlelit space when a young woman her own age stepped into the circle. Drums were beaten, flutes were played and then the girl began to move.

 

She was a hunter and a warrior yet she had never witnessed this amount of grace in any living creature. 

 

The girl in the dancing circle moved to the drumbeat as if it was her own heartbeat. Her hair shone in the light of the candles and from her point of view it looked as if the stars themselves crowned the dancer.

 

She danced fluidly like the water of the river and she jumped joyfully like a mountain spring. She moved and swirled and her hair flew freely.

 

As the dancer went on, the drum beat became faster and faster and sweat began to glisten on her skin as it flushed with the quickening of the heartbeat matching the drum. 

 

Or maybe it was the other way around?

 

The warrior thought all the world had to adapt to match this beauty.

 

Only when the dance was over did she herself move again. Without realising it, she had gone into the absolute stillness of the hunter stalking the prey. As if even her tiniest breath could disturb the delicate creature before her and chase it away.

 

She had lost any count of the time passed. As she came to her senses, she realised that the people around her applauded and that many of  the young men in the audience had lost their hearts to the dancing girl.

 

Why did that thought send a stab of anger through her heart?

 

Her two clanmates looked at her and giggled.

 

She furrowed her brow. Nothing about that performance had been amusing. The dance had been simply divine.

 

Brother of Lion whispered “that’s the chieftain’s daughter of the Otter Tribe,” into her ear.

 

When Daughter of Otter got up from the ground where her dance had ended, their eyes met. The warrior felt heat flushing her face matching the pink blossoming on the dancer’s cheek. Then the dancing girl was lead away by one of her clanspeople.

*

 

Daughter of Otter always slept lightly - especially with so many strangers around. The rivers and springs spoke to her and warned her in her dreams if danger approached. But even when she knew she was safe, she woke and rose quickly from her slumber. So in that first night after she’d danced although she fell asleep quickly after the long and exhausting day - she was also awake in a heartbeat when a stranger came close to her beddings.

 

In the dark she could see a tall and lithe warrior kneeling at a respectful distance.

 

“I’m sorry to disturb your rest. After seeing you dance tonight I felt that I had to see you again.”

 

The voice was quiet, female and… unsure?

 

“I… please just send me away and I’ll go. But I don’t know if I have the strength to leave without your command.”

 

Daughter of Otter heard the vulnerability in this open admission of weakness and her heart beat faster. The blood rushed to her cheeks making her blush in the dark.

 

“Who are you?” 

 

A lot of people had seen her dance. She had seen their adoration and it had come as no surprise. It was why her father wanted her to dance at the festival in the first place - so she would find herself a suitable admirer. All the people had been strangers to her. She wondered which of the faces in the audience belonged to the voice in the dark.

 

“I’m known as Sister of Cheetah because I run faster than anyone.” 

 

And Daughter of Otter could tell by her voice this wasn’t boasting but a mere statement of fact.

 

“And did you like my dancing?”

*

 

They talked for hours until Sister of Cheetah had to return to her tribe and her duties and Daughter of Otter felt a pang of regret when the voice in the dark left her. It took a long time and the sun was already tinting the horizon when she finally found sleep again.

*

 

Each evening of the festival, she danced and each evening her audience grew. But each time she saw Sister of Cheetah’s form in the crowd and she didn’t dance for anyone but herself and the lithe warrior.

 

And each night she was woken by the young woman coming to her sleeping mat and they talked for hours until the sun forced them apart.

 

“You are late, Cheetah.”

 

She had already lain awake for a while, eagerly awaiting her nighttime companion.

 

“My chieftain isn’t happy. He fears I might neglect my duties. Or run off with a man from another tribe. I had to wait a while after he finished his scolding until I could slip away.”

 

Her tone was light - she tried not to grant any meaning to the words. But the dancer sighed.

 

“My father worries. He notices I don’t sleep enough. He thinks he needs to find me a husband soon, so my nerves will settle after the wedding night.”

 

A long silence followed.

 

“Do you want to have a husband?”

 

“My father wants me to have one. It’s part of why we’re here.”

 

Sister of Cheetah understood. She was a warrior. She knew duty. She should accept this. She should say her farewells and leave to rejoin her own tribe.

 

She looked up and saw the moon standing in the sky in all her glory and her light was warm and soft.

 

“But what do  _ you  _ want?”

 

Instead of answering Daughter of Otter reached out, touching Sister of Cheetah’s hand, holding it without words.

*

 

“I’ve made my decision, father.” Daughter of Otter’s voice was quiet but determined.

 

“You can’t join another clan to become a warrior. You need to find a husband.” The chieftain couldn’t begin to understand what had happened to his daughter.

 

“The Tribe of the Lions takes in young people who want to become warriors and a bond with them holds many advantages for our people.” She looked straight into her father’s eyes. “You are a wise leader, father. And a wise leader can easily use this to their tribe’s advantage.”

 

“Just tell me why, Daughter.”

 

“Because even in my dance I already move like a warrior. Because no husband will lord over me. Because I can make this decision without hurting our people. And because I found someone who makes my heart beat faster when I just think their name.”

*

 

In just a short few years the reputation of the Lion Tribe grew and was outshone only by the reputation of its two fiercest warriors. There was none who could stand against them when they fought side by side, no prey they couldn’t hunt down.

 

The skalds sang their praise and retold their great fights and the bards sang of the strength of their love.

 

And when demons from beyond the lands known to men came to attack the plains, there was no question who the tribes sent for.

 

Faced with the behemoth many warriors fled and of those staying many fell until it was just the two of them standing proud. And when the beast roared and rushed towards Sister of Cheetah a light appeared and with it a small rod and the warrior grabbed it for she felt it was a weapon of great power.

 

And the light drove the beast off and it turned towards Daughter of Otter but another light shone and another rod appeared and the dancing warrior took it as well knowing it to be her salvation.

 

None was there to witness what happened then but the beastly behemoth and he was struck down easily by the warriors Uranus and Neptune.

 

And over the slain body of the beast their eyes met. They knew each other and they knew their destiny.

 

“There has been a breach. We must find its source.” Neptune’s eyes were as deep as the ocean.

 

Uranus nodded, her hair flowing in the wind. “The winds call me to the North.”

 

“Then that’s where we’re going.”

*

 

No one of the tribes ever learned what happened to Daughter of Otter and Sister of Cheetah. They had felled the mighty beast and saved the tribes but no trace, no body was ever found and none among the tribes ever saw one of them again.

 

Over the years songs about their last and greatest battle, about the mighty monster they slew and how they ascended to hunt and dance among the stars for all eternity were sung and retold among the tribes until all had forgotten that the two warriors had ever been more than the stuff of legend.


	3. The Tenno's Favourite

Looking out of the window she once again counted her blessings. Born as the second daughter of a minor nobleman, she had never known true poverty and when her teachers discovered her talent, she was nurtured and protected until she finally sung for the tenno himself: Naichingeru – the nightingale. She was still young and had so much to learn but with the holy emperor himself as her patron there was no doubt she would be able to accomplish everything her talent promised.

Yamato-sensei, her most honoured teacher, had told her that to truly catch the beauty and tragedy that was life in her voice and music, she would first have to experience it.

Naichingeru knew that her youth was her greatest weakness when it came to her art. Her life had been sheltered so far and she had seen so little. So with her sensei’s blessing and only three companions that her patron had insisted upon, she travelled the empire.

From village to village, from the smallest hamlet to the palaces of the high nobility, she visited each and every island that owed allegiance to the mighty tenno. Her journey would take years but once she was ready to retire to the royal palace, she would bring dozens of new poems and songs with her and she would hold the seeds for uncountable more inside her heart.

But today Naichingeru felt restless. Yamato-sensei had told her she  needed to experience life and the world in all their beauty and ugliness to become a true master of her art. Yet her handmaiden and the two warriors accompanying her on her journey made it almost impossible for her to truly experience anything.

She knew it was cruel towards her guardians and she would have to make amends to them later. But her sensei had tasked her with this journey for a reason and she would not allow her manners to force her to disappoint her teacher and her tenno.

So in the early morning hours while her handmaiden thought her fast asleep and was busy preparing for the day,  Naichingeru slipped away from her rooms at the inn unnoticed.

*

 

_When she ran nothing else mattered. When she ran the wind in her hair, she left everything else behind - the shouting, the anger, the pain. When she ran, she felt as if she could fly._

 

_She often dreamed about the wind and in her dreams the wind carried her away, went under her feet, her legs, her arms until she flew like a bird._

 

_And when she flew, she knew no hunger or sadness or fear._

 

_In her heart Taka knew that if she ever managed to run fast enough, she would be able to fly while she was awake. And she would dance among the stars far far away from everything and everyone who ever hurt her._

*

 

The waves caressed and embraced her. Her father’s lands had been at the coast and she had known how to swim before she could walk. Her studies and travels seldom left her the time to swim and her guardians would be terribly opposed to the idea of a noble lady such as herself entering the wild untamed ocean.

 

Maybe this was more selfish than she liked to admit. Maybe there was more about her desires than her will to follow her sensei’s path. Or maybe it was all the same. Maybe following one’s heart’s desire was part of her sensei’s teaching.

 

Out here in the ocean she was free. The fish didn’t care about her voice, the turtles knew nothing about music, the sea herself asked nothing of her but to submit herself to the ebbing and flow of her tides.

 

She had left her clothes on the sand. The beach was far enough from the inn and the small village that she could be reasonably sure that no one would find her.

 

She was surprised when she saw a girl running through the sands.

 

She could never explain why she shouted a greeting at that moment.

 

Something about the lean girl with the short hair called to her like a memory of a dream perhaps. Instead of staying quiet and remain unseen, she called out.

 

The girl stopped and looked around - startled by the voice at the seemingly deserted beach.

*

_A voice broke through the reverence. A voice calling out to her._

 

_The wind and the flight fell away from her - into the back of her mind without disappearing completely. They never did._

 

_She looked around._

 

_The beach was empty and it took a moment until she spotted the head in the waves. An arm parted the waters and waved in her direction._

 

_She didn’t know what to do. Strangers didn’t just greet her. Not like this._

 

_Who was that person?_

*

Naichingeru swam towards the beach. She had already greeted the girl so she had nothing to lose by approaching her.

 

When she stepped out of the waves, she could feel the girl’s eyes on her. Now being this close she was sure the short haired runner was only a summer or two younger than herself.

 

“You are beautiful.”

 

Naichingeru had heard many compliments, most of them from noblemen and poets, sweet words praising her looks by comparing her eyes to the stars and her hair to the ocean waves. Brought up to survive at court she had learned long ago to take any praise with a smile but never let it touch her heart. Hearing the girl’s words now, she blushed and felt her heart tighten.

 

“Thank you.”

 

She made the few steps necessary to reach her clothes. With no one there she had thought little of swimming naked.

 

The girls was still there once she’d finished dressing.

 

“My name is Naichingeru.”

 

“I’m Taka.”

 

The girl’s voice, her way to speak, betrayed her as a simple peasant.

 

“Hello, Taka. It’s nice to meet you.” When the girl didn’t answer, she sat down on the beach. “You can run really fast.”

 

A small smile played on Taka’s lips. “I can run faster than anyone else I know.”

 

Naichingeru laughed from joy. “I’m sure you can. The only question is, what are you running from?”

 

She knew that had been the wrong words the moment they left her mouth. The girl’s eyes grew hard instantly, gone was the innocent pride.

*

_She should have know better that beauty and cruelty often went hand in hand. Naichingeru moved and talked like a lady, so why would she expect anything but callous malice? She turned on her heel ready to run, when the young lady called out._

 

_“I’m sorry! Please don’t go.”_

 

_She stopped and turned around. No one apologized to her._

 

_“I’m sorry, Taka. I didn’t mean to pry or be cruel. It’s just something my father used to say. I didn’t mean anything by it.”_

 

_The young lady sounded so sincere, distraught even, that Taka sat down beside her._

 

_“It’s alright.”_

*

Naichingeru was relieved to see that her apology was accepted. The girl even tried for a smile. But she couldn’t help but notice the slight wince as she sat down. Yet it wasn’t her place to question.

 

“You live here?”

 

Taka nodded. “All my life, Naichingeru-dono.”

 

“Please, Taka. There is no need for formality.”

 

What an unspeakable thing to even think, let alone utter out loud. Yet something about Taka was so comforting and familiar that it seemed to her as if she could tell her anything - even those thoughts she didn’t admit to herself. Something about the peasant girl touched a chord in her soul.

 

“As you wish, Nachingeru-chan.”

 

There was a certain cockiness in Taka’s posture and instead of feeling offended, Naichingeru smiled warmly.

 

“Tell me about this place. Tell me about life in Tsuda.”

*

_Taka had no idea why the lady wanted to hear about this small and ordinary place but she would gladly tell her everything she knew. Talking to someone who actually wanted to hear what she had to say was a far too precious thing not to cherish._

*

Growing up as a noble, travelling at the tenno’s chosen favourite, Naichingeru had never seen the ‘real’ world - the world as it presented itself to a commoner. And of course a commoner would never speak openly to a lady such as herself.

 

But this strange peasant girl in her tattered clothes had no fear.

 

Meeting like this on the beach, far away from both of their worlds and any social demands, society’s strict corset held no power over them, it seemed. They talked as openly as if they were family - more openly than most families, to be honest, and certainly her own.

 

They talked for a long while before Taka asked a question.

 

“Naichin-chan?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“What are you?”

 

She raised an eyebrow. She knew the girl had meant no offense but the question was beyond anything she could have imagined.

 

Taka blushed. “When I saw you in the waves I thought that I had met a kappa.”

 

“When a kappa calls you, they drag you under the waves until you drown. You should have run faster, not stopped.”

 

The girl shrugged. “In some stories your soul becomes a kappa as well after you drown.”

 

“Isn’t there anything you would have missed in the deep dark under the sea?”

 

Naichingeru loved the ocean but she would surely miss the sun and the light and her family and sensei if she was to never see them again.

 

“The wind.”

 

“What about your family, Taka-chan?”

 

The girl’s face grew hard. For a moment Nachingeru thought she might jump up and run away - never to be seen again. The moment passed though and Taka simply changed the subject.

 

“You haven’t told me what you are yet.”

 

“I’m no kappa. I don’t drown innocent girls. I’m a far more dangerous creature - a musician.”

 

“A musician?”

 

“Yes. A singer and a poet and I play the harp. I don’t rob people of their life but sometimes, when the gods are really with me, I steal their hearts and souls.”

_*_

_Taka bit her lip deeply lost in thought. She didn’t know what to say to that. The lady didn’t expect her to say anything though. She seemed content just looking out at the ocean, letting the waves calm her._

 

_The sun as getting high in the sky and the day promised to become sunny and lovely._

 

_“Oh no.”_

 

_Taka was startled. The young lady sounded distraught all of sudden._

 

_“It’s getting late. And people will worry about me. I need to get back to the inn.”_

 

_Her voice was sad so as if she too didn’t want this moment to end, didn’t want them to part._

 

_“Will you be my guide back, Taka-chan? I’m afraid I would get lost making my way back through the fields.”_

 

_“Gladly.” Anything to make this moment last just that little bit longer._

 

*

 

_When they reached the inn Taka was more than happy to get inside. On their way many of the people they encountered had stared at her. They were her family’s friends and neighbours and of course they would ask themselves what she was doing in the company of the travelling lady._

 

_There was a lot of commotion in the inn. A servant woman was talking excitedly to one of two samurai while the other talked to the innkeeper. Once they entered everyone looked in their direction and the commotion died down immediately._

 

_The servant woman and the two warriors all bowed down deeply to Naichingeru._

 

_“May we accompany you to your rooms, Naichingeru-dono?_

 

_The young lady bowed to her maidservant. “Yes, of course, I…”_

 

_But before she could finish her answer the door burst open behind them._

 

_“Taka! What are you doing here? Why are you not at home?”_

 

_She could basically feel everyone staring at her now. The handmaiden and the two samurai who had no idea who she was nor did they care for a lowly peasant girl. The lady asking herself who that brutish man was who was shouting at her. And of course the innkeeper and his serving girl who just wished that Taka and her family would take their dealings elsewhere where they wouldn’t trouble their honoured guest._

 

_Taka bowed deeply. A show of respect might work in front of strangers. “Uncle, I was just…”_

 

_“Stop babbling, girl - if your father catches you here when you should be at home working, he will hear no excuses. No get yourself out of here and run home before I’m going to teach you some manners!”_

 

_Very quietly the young lady had moved and now stood at Taka’s side. She bowed towards her uncle._

 

_“Please forgive me, honoured Sir, for occupying your niece’s time without asking her family’s permission first.”_

 

_All anger and bravado left her uncle’s posture as he studied the lady before him and took notice of the two samurai standing in the background ready to defend her honour if the need arose._

 

_“I found myself lost on my morning walk, and Taka-kohai was so friendly to lead me back to this very place so I could safely return to my servants. She has brought honour on her family by helping a stranger in need and of course her family will be compensated for the time she spent helping a foolish stranger in your district.”_

 

_Her uncle bowed deeply. “Please forgive me, honoured lady, for my outburst.” It was very obvious that he struggled to meet her they easy, elegant grace of the lady Naichingeru’s politeness. “It was only my sorrow for my brother’s worries that let me forget my manners.”_

 

_The lady bowed her head slightly. “There is nothing to forgive, honoured Sir. The love and compassion for our families is our highest duty in the eyes of the gods and stands high above mere politeness.”_

 

_Again her uncle bowed. Taka realised that he was afraid of this lady and her samurais._

 

_Naichingeru made an almost unnoticeable gesture towards her handmaiden. “Please accept this small token of my gratitude for your inconvenience.”_

 

_The servant dropped a small coin into her uncle’s hand._

 

_“And please be so kind to inform your brother that his daughter is well and will return to her family at the earliest convenience.”_

 

_“I’m honoured to carry her ladyship’s words to my brother’s ears.”_

 

_Her uncle’s retreat had something of a flight._

 

_The lady - and there was no doubt right now that Naichingeru was exactly that - turned towards the innkeeper. “Please have a bath prepared.”_

 

_The man bowed his acknowledgement._

 

_Taka felt fingers on her upper arm, guiding her gently to accompanying the lady upstairs to her rooms, while the two samurai and the maidservant followed._

_*_

 

Once the door closed behind them, leaving the two warriors to guard the door, Naichingeru turned towards her handmaiden. She bowed deeply as if towards a person of higher standing, lowering herself.

 

“Please forgive me, Chiyoko-san. It wasn’t right of me to worry you like this.”

 

The handmaiden blushed seeing her mistress acting like a misbehaving child in front of her teacher.

 

“Why did you leave like that Naichingeru-dono?”

 

“My sleep was troubled and I heard the sea calling to me in my dreams. Yamato-sensei has taught me that a poet and a musician always has to listen to her dreams and her heart if she wants to achieve greatness. And our beloved tenno has tasked me to do everything in my power to do so. Not going would have meant disobeying his highness if not in words than at least in intent”

 

Seeing her handmaiden all flustered, Naichingeru almost felt ashamed of her deceit. But then she remembered that all her words were true strictly speaking even if they weren’t the sole reason for her flight today and that the circumstances had left her little choice if she wanted to have at least a tiny corner in her life cut out to be herself in.

 

“I understand, Milady. Please forgive your unworthy servant her impertinence. I was tasked with seeing to your every need and I’m doing you a disservice if I’m asking you to go against the most-beloved tenno’s wishes.”

 

“You were doing your duty as you understood it, Chiyoko-san. As I did mine.”

 

The servant bowed deeply. “Then there is nothing to forgive, Naichingeru-dono.”

 

“Taka?”

 

The girl blushed. In the presence of her servant she seemed a lot meeker than she had before. “Yes, Naichingeru-dono?”

 

“You will stay here for a while. You did me a great service today and it won’t do to sent you home like that, clothed in tattered rags.”

 

The maid bowed in Naichingeru’s direction and made her way to the door. “I will see to it at once.”

 

“Taka?”

 

She looked up, meeting Naichingeru’s eyes.

 

“Are you afraid of me now?”

 

“My uncle was frightened. I’m not afraid of anything.”

 

Naichingeru had to smile at the obvious lie. “Then you must be very brave indeed. Everybody is afraid of something.”

 

Taka blushed. “Well, I’m not afraid of YOU. You are nice. You spoke to me like a friend when we had just met. And you didn’t drown me.”

 

“I’m not a kappa.” She laughed.

 

“Well, I’m not convinced.”

 

“If that’s so, then maybe I’ll drown you yet, little Taka-chan.”

 

“And how will you drown me in the rooms of an inn, Naichingeru-chan?” Now that her servant was gone the cockiness returned to the young peasant girl and Naichingeru absolutely loved it.

 

“Chiyoko is going to get you some decent clothes but before we put you in those, we will have to put you in a bath.”

 

“A bath? But surely that’s for you.”

 

“I will have to wash the salt from my hair.” Naichingeru admitted. “But I’m hardly filthy after my bath in the ocean. You on the other hand, Taka-chan, are sweaty and dirty like a peasant girl.”

 

“I AM a peasant girl.”

 

It was good to see that Taka after a first shock returned to her former behaviour of acting completely unimpressed with Naichingeru’s standing. She would miss the girl once she had to allow her to return to her family. But it wasn’t her place to get between a girl and her family. She might allow herself a few hours of egoism but she couldn’t make a life out of it.

*

 

When the bath was ready Naichingeru quickly went in and had her handmaiden help her with washing her hair. The water quickly took care of the salt the sea had left there and she stepped out to be welcomed by warm and clean towels.

 

“Now it’s your turn, Taka-chan. The water is still warm.”

 

“I really don’t need a bath.”

 

Chiyoko would have none of it. “Nonsense, child. The lady has offered you a bath and you will take it. Your new clothes shouldn’t be spoiled right away.”

 

Taka looked at the noblewoman. “Do I have to?”

 

Naichingeru smiled. She was sure the girl was just modest in front of strangers. “Chiyoko-san will leave us alone and I will tend to your bath.”

 

The handmaiden gasped but a glance of her mistress silenced her immediately. She blushed and bowed, leaving her lady and the ragged girl alone.

 

“Now there is no reason to be ashamed, my friend. You have seen me naked at the beach and just now, so there is no shame in letting me see your body.”

*

_Taka bit her lip. She really didn’t want to undress. But the lady had been so good to her and it would be incredibly rude to deny her offer. Besides, a hot bath was a rare pleasure indeed._

 

_When she pulled off her shirt and trousers she did so quickly, hoping to slip into the water without further comment. But once her clothes came off she could hear a quiet little gasp escape the lady. She chose to ignore it and slipped in the water, immediately muddying it a lot more than the noblewoman had done._

*

For a moment Naichingeru was at a loss for words as she saw the girl’s back crisscrossed with angry red welts and old scars. No one would have ever dared to raise their hand against her. And although she had witnessed children, women, peasants getting a beating, this seemed far worse than any she had seen.

 

It was very clear that the girl didn’t want to talk about it, so she knew she had to be very careful with her words.

 

She took a sponge and began gently cleaning the girl’s back.

 

Despite her carefulness Taka winced at her lightest touch yet tried to keep up the facade that nothing was wrong.

 

All her upbringing taught Naichingeru not to press the matter. That if someone didn’t want to talk about something it was beyond rude to do anything but completely ignore the topic. But she cared more for the girl already than for proper behaviour.

 

“Who did this to you?” Her voice was warm, caring, and gentle like her touch - the complete opposite of anything Taka knew.

 

“I’m rebellious and useless - a disobedient child who will not dress or behave like a well-mannered girl. My father sees it as his duty to teach me the error of my ways.”

 

The girl had been a bit cocky maybe but Naichingeru had no objections to her manners in any way. She had been friendly and helpful to her. And the fact that she wasn’t cowed by her rank was refreshing from the noblewoman’s point of view. But now Taka sounded so resigned to her fate, so defeated - it wasn’t at all like the girl she had known for the last couple of hours. She pulled the young woman into an embrace.

 

“Oh Takako.”

 

Leaning against the warm and comforting shoulder Taka did something she hadn’t done in years. She cried.

 

Usually when things got too bad she ran and let the wind take away her tears before they could ever fall. Now she let her tears disappear into the waves of the lady Naichingeru’s hair.

 

A plan formed in the musician’s mind but she had to know a few things first. “What about your mother?”

 

“She just wants me to find a suitable husband one day and for that I need to learn obedience.”

 

“Do you have any brothers and sisters?”

 

Taka shook her head. “My sister married away last year. Her husband has no use for someone like me either. My brother died in an accident the winter before last.”

 

The young noble nodded. This made her plan easier.

 

“Takako - I know this is a terribly rude question but I need you to answer it anyway and answer it truthfully - do you want to stay with your parents?”

 

“No. No, I don’t. And I don’t care that I’m an ungrateful daughter. I don’t want to stay and I don’t want to become a ‘proper’ girl and marry some man I don’t care about.”

 

“Shh - it’s alright, Takako, it’s alright. You won’t have to, not if I have anything to say about it.”

 

*

 

In the end it was all too easy. A highborn lady, a favourite of the beloved tenno, asking to take their daughter on as a servant was a blessing to any parent.

 

Officially Taka was Naichigeru’s servant. In reality the girl was the lady’s eyes and ears, telling her about the real world everyone else seemed so eager to keep from her. And in return the lady taught her some simple instruments. Taka would never be good enough to play in front of the tenno. But she had a good sense of rhythm and quickly became a valuable partner for Naichigeru to work on her songs.

 

The longer they travelled the more valuable they became to each other and when they shared their first kiss huddled under the blankets one winter night it was the most natural thing in the world.

 

When a rival who envied Naichingeru her position as the tenno’s chosen favourite paid a black magician to kill her, it was Taka who stood between the summoned demon and her heart’s mistress. After the two samurai were slain and it looked as if she would fall next, suddenly Taka began to glow like the stars themselves and a small rod appeared right in front of her heart. Instinctively she grabbed at it, recognising it for a weapon.

 

Once the demon had fallen the warrior who had moments ago been a simple woman named Taka turned towards her lover.

 

“I’m sorry but this is it. I can hear the wind calling to me. This demon and its summoner are part of a great danger to this world. I need to go and take care of it.”

 

“Takako - wait! Does it have to be you?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Then at least take me with you.”

 

“Naichinchan - you can’t battle demons and serve as the tenno’s favourite singer.”

 

“I don’t care.”

 

“But music is your life.”

 

A smile, sad and defiant showed on Naichingeru’s lips. “ _You_ are my life. If I have to choose between the tenno and you - I will always choose you.”

 

With her words a light and a small rod, just like the one Taka had used to defeat the demon appeared in front of her. Naichingeru knew that to go with Taka she would have to become a warrior too. She grabbed the rod and felt its power surging through her veins.

 

“Welcome, Neptune.”

 

The blue-haired warrior smiled. “Let’s go.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I chose these two names for their meaning:
> 
> Naichingeru - nightingale  
> Taka - falcon
> 
> The rest of them are random names.


	4. The East And The West

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My beta's bunny hopped on her keyboard - see if you can find bunny's contribution ;)

All her life Nageru Nami had been taught to serve her mother and her ship. A member of the seafaring tribes, she learned to fish, to swim, to sail and to fight like all her brothers and sisters. Her people were a warlike one. Nami knew that even her grandmother had still been considered a pirate with a bounty on her head high enough to buy a small fleet of ships.

 

When the people of the east discovered a way to make the sea herself burn and attacked the western islands things changed though. Seeing the death and destruction the barbarians rained on the queendom whose coast had been her people’s major haunting grounds, her grandmother had decided that some things were too evil to let stand. She had turned her ship against the invaders and had unified her people behind her.

 

Many had died in that war that raged before Nami was even born but in the end the barbarians were driven back or drowned. And Nami’s people had been offered a pardon for anything they might have done before the war. Nami’s uncle - her grandmother’s second child - had been given away to marry the crown princess of the land dwellers and now was the prince consort of  Yasashi Joo - the current queen.

 

The marriage had ensured peace and continued prosperity for her own people even if Nami’s mother spoke of her brother only as the ‘royal hostage’, never uttering his name.

 

In her mother’s eyes her brother had lost the right to his name and his honour the day he agreed to the marriage and left the ship. To her all land dwellers were dead men walking.

 

Nami was born after the war. Peace was all she knew and although her mother had done her best to raise her in the traditional way of their people, teaching her to be a warrior - full of passion and life - she didn’t quite share the older generation’s sentiment when it came to the land dwellers. They were people too. Gentle and kind people.

 

Yes, the seafaring folk were stronger but Nami knew stronger wasn’t necessarily better. She had spent a few summers at her uncle’s palace, learning her cousins’ ways. Back when grandmother was still alive and strong enough to enforce her will. Three years ago her mother had taken over as the leader of her people and among her first acts was to end Nami’s visits.

 

Her mother didn’t want to end the peace her people had given so much for. But she didn’t want to see her daughter turn from their traditional ways either.

 

Nami missed the soft conversations, the gentle music, the paintings. Her own people had little use for the finer arts. So in a way she guessed her mother was right to be worried. Her summers at her uncle’s home had shown her things she wouldn’t have dreamed of before and she had liked them.

But she was her mother’s only child. She had duties. There was no time to cry and sigh over that which could not be.

*

 

It was almost two decades since they had last seen a ship such as this so it was no surprise that the lookout at first didn’t recognise it for what it was.

 

Nami was on deck when they spotted the small vessel. She had never seen something like this with her own eyes. But she remembered the history lessons, she remembered the illustrations in the books she had been taught with during those warm months under her uncle and aunt’s tutelage.

 

She only took a moment to accept what she was seeing. Then she shouted the necessary commands to ready the weapons and wake her mother. The barbarians were back.

 

Although the vessel was small, the fight was hard and brutal. Many of her own people were wounded and some died before the enemy ship finally sank.

 

When the fight was won Nami’s mother sank to her knees besides Saisho - her oldest and most steadfast friend, first among the victims.

 

As her mother’s daughter it fell upon Nami to take over and she gave the necessary commands to have any survivors fished out of the waves.

 

Her people succeeded in rescuing four of the Eastern barbarians.

 

Nami studied them, unsure what to do about them. 

 

They were the enemy.

 

They had attacked and killed so many.

 

Yet that had been so many years ago. And these people were young, only one of them maybe old enough to have fought back then and two so young that they were probably born after their defeat.

 

“Kill them.” Captain Nageru Umi’s voice was cold and hard.

 

Nami stared at her mother in disbelieve. “These are prisoners.”

 

“They killed Saisho. They killed Isamu. They killed Kameko.”

 

“And we killed their friends - their crew. The fight is over now.”

 

“Are you questioning my commands? I am your queen, your mother, your captain.”

 

Nami’s jaw clenched. She knew about duty to her mother, her captain, her ship. But she also knew about her duty to do as was right. There was no reason to kill these four. They were no danger to anyone, least of all her people. She stood proud and upright in front of the kneeling people.

“You are,” she nodded. “You are also wrong in this. Look at them - they are half-drowned and bound. We don’t kill prisoners.”

 

“They are barbarians - killers.”

 

“And we are not.”

 

Nami held her mother’s gaze steadily.

 

“I see I wasn’t fast enough to end your visits. The land dwellers and their softness have already taken hold of your heart.” She looked away. “Well, this decision is on your head, daughter. Let’s hope we won’t all live to regret it.”

*

 

After her mother had chosen to ignore the prisoners, Nami gave the necessary orders to have them brought into the ship’s belly and have them looked after. She herself had to discuss things with her mother first before she could do so.

 

They talked away from deck in the captain’s cabin. Her mother was so distraught by the deaths of those under her command that she needed someone to blame. And she blamed Nami.

 

“You are right, mother. This  _ is  _ my fault. I gave the command to attack the Easterners’ ship. Maybe this fight wasn’t even necessary.”

 

“Nonsense. If we hadn’t attacked first, our losses would be even greater. You did well giving that order. Which is why I understand even less why you wanted to save those monsters. Monsters need to be slain.”

 

Nami agreed. “Monsters need to be slain. I’m unsure though whether those people are monsters.”

 

“They killed Saisho.”

 

With tears in her eyes, Nami nodded. “I know. And I will mourn him and the others in my heart for years to come. But killing is only just and necessary if it stops worse killings and sufferings. Revenge isn’t justice, mother, and once your heart stops bleeding like this, I’m sure you see the truth of my words.”

 

“You have spoken against me.”

 

“Like you have spoken against grandmother whenever you thought her way wasn’t the wisest course of action. These people might have information that we need in the future. Was this one lonely ship losing its way? Was it a scouting vessel? Are they planning a new war? We can’t learn that from the dead.”

 

“So what would  _ you  _ do now if you were in my place?”

 

“Keeping myself away from the prisoners because I’d knew I wasn’t the best one to deal with this. Setting course for the coast, to bring word of the incident and the prisoners to  Yasashi Joo’s court. Mourn for the friends I lost.”

*

 

When Nami entered the belly of the ship she found three of the four prisoners all dried up in clothes not their own and covered in blankets.

 

“What about him?” She pointed at the youngest of the rescued prisoners who still wore his own clothes and was drenched to the bone.

 

“He refused any help, Ma’am.”

 

Nami furrowed her brow. “You are being very unreasonable. If you don’t accept dry clothes, you will surely get ill, maybe die. The sea is cold und unforgiving to the foolish.”

 

The prisoner looked miserable. Nami was sure he had to be about her age. Maybe if she could talk to him…

 

“What is your name?” When the young man didn’t answer she added. “I’m Nageru Nami.”

 

“I’m Tenku.”

 

“I’ve seen people who stuck too long in their drenched clothes, Tenku. The death is a slow and painful one, once the cold takes over your whole body and your breath.”

 

He bit his lip considering her words. A shiver ran through his lean body. He looked at his warden at Nami’s side. “He has to leave.”

 

Shigekazu looked at her, waiting for her decision. Tenku’s request had surprised him but it wasn’t for him to judge. Nami nodded. “Leave, my friend. Neither Tenku nor his friends are any danger right now.”

 

Once Nami was alone with the prisoners, Tenku turned his back to his comrades and started pulling of his shirt. Once the drenched piece of clothing was gone, Nami could see the tight bandages covering Tenku’s chest. There was no blood, so maybe he had broken his ribs?

 

But Tenku only moved like someone a little stiff from the cold, not like a person in pain. And once the bandages came loose - for they too were drenched in cold sea water - Nami saw why Tenku had asked for Shigekazu to leave.

 

The gasps in Tenku’s back confirmed that the other’s hadn’t known her secret either.

 

A slender arm stretched out through the bars. “Can I have a dry shirt?”

 

Nami held out a towel . “You need to dry yourself off first, get your blood flowing properly again.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Tenku dried herself, completely ignoring the whispers behind her. After her upper torso didn’t  look as pale as before but instead blushed in a healthy pink after the rubbing, Nami handed her the wide, woolen shirt. It was long enough to cover her in a reasonably decent way when she got rid of her shoes and trousers. Once she finished rubbing her legs dry and warm, Nami handed her the dry trousers she had at the ready.

 

“She needs a skirt.” One of the Easterners spoke up.

 

Tenku blushed furiously.

 

Nami raised an eyebrow. “Why? Is she going to a dance?” Aboard the ships trousers were the only practical clothing and everyone wore them.

 

“She’s a girl. Trousers aren’t decent.”

 

“How would she fight in a skirt?”

 

This resulted in a horrified gasp by the three men. “Women don’t fight. They stay at home to care for the children - we protect them.”

 

Nami didn’t know how she could possibly answer to that level of silliness. She turned to Tenku.

 

“I see now why you wore those bandages.”

 

“I wouldn’t have made it onto the ship without them.”

 

Nami sat down on the floor outside the bars. “Why did you want to make it onto the ship?”

 

Tenku blushed and she lowered her gaze. “You will think me foolish.”

 

“After what those men just said? I’m doubtful.”

 

“I had dreams calling to me. I know it’s a foolish girl’s behaviour to run after dreams just because you have vague feelings but… I know that if I don’t reach the western kingdom a huge tragedy will occur. Terrible dangers are looming on the horizon.”

 

“And you want to stop them?”

 

“I don’t know whether I can but I have to try.”

 

Behind Tenku the youngest of the three men scoffed. “Your father should have taught you your place more thoroughly. He is a disgrace for our people.”

 

Tenku whirled around her eyes narrow. “I’m sure he will hear of your opinion if we ever make it home.”

 

The eyes of the oldest prisoner widened, suddenly recognising the girl’s features despite the recently cropped hair - now that he wasn’t blinded anymore by the lie that she was a boy. He grabbed the youngest one’s shoulders and forced him into a bowing position.

 

“Please forgive this one’s impertinence, Sorano-Hime.” With his words he bowed down as well, as did the third man.

 

Nami didn’t miss how the girl’s hands clenched into fists and how her jaw was working. Her hand gently touched Sorano’s shoulder through the bars.

 

“What shall I call you know?”

 

“Tenku will be fine.”

*

 

The journey towards the coast lasted several days and Nami had a lot of time to talk with the mysterious Tenku.

 

There was so little they still knew about the western kingdom and its people. Nami was absolutely stunned to learn that women and men were treated so differently in that place. The thought was so alien to her people’s way of living that she simply couldn’t grasp the idea that men should be in any way better than women - or the other way around.

 

Yet apparently Tenku had somehow broken the restrictive rules.

 

“After my mother’s death, my father allowed me for many freedoms other women don’t have. I am an only child but I can’t be his heir for obvious reasons.”

 

Nami shook her head. “Believe me, those reasons are far from obvious for someone of my people. My mother took over my people’s reign from her mother because she was the oldest child. I will take over one day because I am the only child. If I should die before my mother, our people’s leadership would fall to my younger uncle. My older uncle couldn’t take over after he pledged himself to his wife and her people.” 

 

“Your way to handle things sounds a lot simpler.”

 

Nami thought of her mother’s animosity towards the land dwellers, the disagreements between herself and her mother. Her own way of life didn’t seem all that simple to her.

 

“Is that why you ran away?”

 

“What? No. I love my father and I hate that I had to break his heart like this. Tenku - that’s what he used to call me - his heavenly air, like a gift from the gods. But there are people at his court who push for another war. They had my grandfather’s ear twenty years ago and now they have his.”

 

“So you don’t want a war?”

 

Tenku shook her head. “If this war happens it will bring death and destruction that will dwarf the last one.” She blushed. “I might not have found the courage to leave if it hadn’t been for the dreams though. I think there is something even worse to be woken by our peoples’ conflict than the war itself.”

 

Nami shuddered. “I was raised to protect my people. The thought alone is terrifying.” She looked out at the ocean waves. “Tenku, those dreams you are having… Is there a figure lost in the shadows, carrying a scythe in them?”

 

The short haired girl gasped. “How do you…”

 

“I’ve had the same dreams for a while now. I think they first started shortly after my grandmother died. I didn’t make too much of them back then. In the legends of the western kingdom the dead are collected by a woman with a scythe. But even in all these years they  never fully left me. They have become more frequent over the last couple of months - more urgent. The tides are pulling me westwards.”

=======================jul;L  ,≤“Æ∏ 

“And the winds are blowing me in that direction.”

 

Nami nodded. “I believe you, Tenku. But we can’t tell my mother about these visions. She never put any stock in omens and forebodings which is why I never told her.”

 

“Take me to your mother, Nami. I’m sure I can convince her to bring me to Yasashi Joo’s palace. I feel that that’s where I have to go.”

 

And the seafaring princess knew that her way lead there too.

*

 

“ Oji No Naigusha.” Nageru Umi nodded coolly towards her brother. “I would have expected your wife to welcome us as one queen to another instead of sending an underling.”

 

His smile was sad. “I’m her beloved spouse and the father to her children - hardly an underling. Also I am your brother, Umi, don’t I have the right to greet my sister first? I asked Yasashi Joo for that privilege.”

 

Her face stayed hard. “I’m here on the business of state not for nostalgic reasons. We encountered a vessel of the eastern kingdom far too close to your borders.”

 

His smile vanished. “Those are dire news indeed. And who is that young man you have with you?”

 

Nami stepped forward. “This, uncle, is the Princess Sorano of the Eastern kingdom. She has come to the West in disguise in the hopes of preventing another war. She has offered herself as a hostage to keep her father from doing anything rash.”

 

His eyes widened in surprise. “Is that true?”

 

“Our other prisoners confirmed it.” Nageru Umi affirmed.

 

Nageru Kaijyo bowed towards the princess he had mistaken for a young man at first. “You are very brave, Princess. I bow to your courage and I hope your action won’t have been in vain.” He turned towards his sister and her daughter. “Please follow me to the throne room immediately - the queen will want to hear about this and meet this young lady immediately.”

*

 

Sorano was terribly tired. Yasashi Joo and her prince consort had been friendly and nice to her and now she was treated as an honoured guest in one of the spindly towers of the palace. But the talks had been long and exhausting and a part of her felt like a traitor to her father and her kingdom even if she knew this was necessary to prevent a greater evil. Also she knew all too well that the three other survivors of her ship were kept as prisoners on Nageru Umi’s ship. She still remembered the lives lost in that fight when they first encountered each other.

 

It was late now and the moon was shining through the window in the room she was assigned.

 

She felt restless and was afraid to fall asleep in the knowledge that her dreams would haunt her.

 

She then heard a quiet knock on her door.

 

When she opened it, Nami slipped in.

 

“I thought you were back on your ship.”

 

“I haven’t visited with my uncle and cousin in three years. With a new war a real possibility, mother didn’t have the heart to deny me a stay in the palace.”

 

The eastern princess sighed. “I’m glad you are here. Your aunt and uncle have been good to me but…”

 

“They don’t know the truth.”

 

“Not the way you do.”

 

Nami took her hands into her own. “I want to show you something, Tenku. Do you trust me?”

 

“With all my heart.”

 

“Then come.”

 

The two young women made their way quickly and quietly through a place that was mostly asleep. Nami knew the palace well enough to have them escape the servants still going on about their business. She led the way down stairs and through several hidden doors up another stairway until they reached a big oaken door. She pulled the lever and pushed Tenku through before slipping in beside her.

 

Inside the room she put up the lamp she had brought with her, shedding light on a picture on the wall.

 

Tenku gasped.

 

On the canvas was picture of a small, petite figure carrying a scythe standing in front of a huge monstrous behemoth. The gigantic monster towered over everything and the shadow it cast kept the reaper in the dark, so you couldn’t make out the features.

 

“Who painted that?”

 

“I did. During my last stay here, right when my grandmother was dying. My aunt encouraged me to learn different arts, see from which I could derive some joy in those dark days. I painted my dreams back then.”

 

“It’s…”

 

“Well crafted - almost perfectly so, my teachers said. But the motif frightened my aunt and my cousin, so it was hidden away in here. I needed to show it to you.”

 

Tenku’s fingers gently touched the canvas, trying to figure out the mystery of the scythe carrying figure by touching it. As if her fingertips could decipher the enigma all on their own.

 

“We need to find out what it means - stopping the catastrophe before it’s too late.”

*

 

The next days and weeks Tenku and Nami spent at the palace. Nami’s mother wasn’t too pleased but a part of her was still relieved to have her only daughter at the safest place she knew. She had lost too much already.

 

While they spent their days socialising with the queen and her family, the nights they went on exploring, for in their dreams they both knew that this was the right place and the danger was coming closer.

 

On the evening of the full moon, Selardi - one of the queen’s many cats - made her way to Tenku’s room.

 

“Look at that, she really likes you. My aunt always used to say that this one liked no one.”

 

“She lets you pet her.”

 

“But she scratches the queen and anyone else who tries to touch her - except you.”

 

The cat stared at them both as if she understood perfectly well what the two were talking about. She meowed and pushed her head against Nami’s calf.

 

“I’m sorry, Selardi, we need to go. We have no time to pet you right now.”

 

Her words resulted in the cat gently biting her hand - careful not to break skin yet strong enough to be noticed.

 

“Ouch, what…”

 

“Meow.”

 

The ginger cat jumped from the ground onto Tenku’s bed. She stared right at the girl and meowed once again. Then she jumped and made her way to the door looking back over her shoulder as if to make sure the humans would follow.

 

Nami looked at her friend.

 

“We have done things that seem a lot less sane than following a cat.”

 

The seafaring princess nodded. “It feels right.”

 

They followed the cat through the palace down stairs and through corridors, many of which they had already searched until they reached a familiar oak door. Selardi sat down in front of it and scratched.

 

Nami opened the door and the cat slipped in immediately. When the two girls followed the found the cat sitting in front of Nami’s painting, staring at it.

 

“Why would the cat want to show us that painting? We already know why we are here.”

 

“I don’t know, but maybe we missed something.” Tenku started thoroughly examining the canvas once again. Her fingers searched every inch of the frame until she suddenly heard a click. The canvas swung open and gave way to reveal that the alcove it hung in wasn’t really an alcove at all but had been a hidden doorway all along.

 

Tenku swallowed once. Her eyes met Nami’s. “So this is it.”

 

“It feels like it - I can hear the waters calling to me from down there.”

 

Tenku took her hand and they carefully made their way down a dark and winding staircase, the ginger cat accompanying them without making any noise that might have given them away.

 

At the bottom of the staircase a short corridor quickly opened into a huge cavern. A green, sickly light could be seen up ahead but its source stayed hidden behind natural pillars.

 

Suddenly Selardi made her way to the left, to a part of the cavern hidden completely in shadows. Following the cat once again they found her sitting at the feet of a woman holding a scythe.

 

Nami’s fingers clenched around Tenku’s.

 

The figure turned her head and Nami recognised her cousin’s tutor in the figure’s features. But something was different about her, there was a power and wisdom in her face she had never seen before. And the clothes she was wearing were strange, outlandish even, yet they both recognised them as the garment of a warrior. 

 

She put a finger on her lips warning them to stay quiet and gestured them over.

 

“What is going on here?” Nami whispered.

 

“My name is Sailor Saturn - I’m a guardian trying to protect this place.”

 

“Guarding from what?” Tenku wanted to know.

 

“One of the queen’s scholars is possessed by his hunger for power and his jealousy - for the queen loves your uncle and has no eyes for him. He has made terrible pacts with forces from far, far away - so far away that words like West or East have no meaning anymore. He can’t be allowed to succeed with the ritual he is about to perform.”

 

“So you will stop him?”

 

“If I do that, Nami, I will destroy not only him, but this palace, this land, this world. My power is too great and can’t be reined in once it’s called upon. I will do it before I let him reach his goal because a clean death is better than the alternative but I still hope to avoid it.”

 

Tenku had grown pale. “How?” She dreaded the answer with all her heart.

 

Saturn looked at them both. “Both of you have been courageous already in your quest to protect your people, to keep up the peace. You will have to be even braver, I’m afraid.” She held out two small rods, one to each of them.

 

Nami looked at the rod, then at Tenku. She thought of her mother, her people, her cousin. She knew she had no choice. And Tenku knew it as well.

 

They took the rod at the same instant, both with the same knowledge of foreboding.

 

Taking the rod Nami felt energies flowing through her. She could feel and hear the oceans clearer than ever before. 

 

Then Nami took a backseat and another person, another set of memories surfaced.

 

Sailor Neptune still was Nami but she was so much more as well.

 

She wasn’t surprised to see Uranus right there at her side and she smiled.

*

 

It was almost too late when they reached the dark sorcerer.

 

They fought knowing fully well that Saturn was standing ready to end this if they failed. For now she used her power to uphold a shield, keeping the fight and its forces contained to protect the palace right above their heads.

 

But while Neptune and Uranus took comfort in that knowledge that there was a second line of defense in case of emergency, Nami and Tenku knew that it couldn’t be allowed to come to pass.

 

The scholar had already started to opening a door - a portal - to let unspeakable evil into this world.

 

Uranus and Neptune fought hard.

 

In the end it was Neptune who struck down the dark wizard.

 

Uranus fought the dark and enormous force trying to force its way completely through the portal before it shut close again.

 

Just when the portal was about to close a dark tentacle grabbed Uranus, dragging her towards the creature. She was wounded and she was stuck in the closing doorway, being the only thing keeping it still open, keeping the danger for this world alive.

 

Neptune was at her side in the blink of an eye.

 

“I’m going to get you out.”

 

“No, you won’t.” She managed through gritted teeth. “The door needs to close and there’s only one way that will happen with every bit of that creature on the other side of it.” Uranus could already feel the darkness cursing through her veins, infecting her.

 

“Uranus - Tenku…”

 

“Smile, Neptune. We won. We achieved what we set out to do. The only thing I regret is that I didn’t get to spend more time with Nami, Beloved.”

 

Tears were filling Neptune’s eyes.

 

“Tell my father that I’m sorry, once you ensured peace between our people.”

 

She managed to nod. Her voice was breaking when she promised “I will.”

 

Uranus braced herself and let go of the portal as Neptune struck once more at the tentacle holding her, ending the danger for this world once again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nageru Nami - Flowing Wave  
> Nageru Umi - Flowing Sea  
> Nageru Kaijyo - Flowing Ocean  
> Oji No Naigusha - prince consort  
> Yasashi Joo - gentle queen  
> Sorano-hime - sky princess  
> Tenku - heavenly air  
> Selardi - Name of the Urartu moon godess


	5. The Holy Order

Fubo didn’t know her parents. When her mother was pregnant she went to the oracle as was the custom among her people, and the holy seer read the stars and the bird’s flight in the summer wind and saw that she was destined for more than living her life in some small town or village - or wherever her heritage lay.

 

It was the law of the land that any child should be delivered into the temple if the omens demanded it.

 

So Fubo had known nothing in her life but the disciplined life of a devout member of the order. There were others in the cloister besides those chosen by the gods, babies abandoned on the sanctuary’s doorstep or toddlers bought in by hopeful parents.

 

Everyone knew that those would never achieve the same skill as a chosen one but everyone had a place in life - a role to play in the grand scheme of things. And the discipline in body, mind, and soul that the children were taught brought out the best in even the simplest of students.

 

Fubo knew that one day she would be among the most excellent of warriors; even now with her training incomplete she could easily best the other students in any challenge of the body and most of her teachers as well.

 

She wrestled like a tiger. She shot the bow with the strength of an ox and the eye of an eagle. She ran like the wind.

 

Fubo knew she was the best among all the acolytes at the temple - even among those prophesied for greatness.

 

She studied hard even if the mental disciplines came less natural to her than the physical ones. There were few who could compete with her regarding the mystic percipience and she read the old texts to further her knowledge.

 

There was a war coming - unlike any other war the dukedoms had ever seen, a war not between humans from one province against those of the next, but a war between humanity itself and an ancient force of evil. The old texts had foretold that war for ages and Fubo knew it would arrive within her lifetime. She could read those signs as clear as any seer.

 

The temples had been established to prepare as best as possible and the order had all the resources it needed provided for by the local population and their noble masters. In exchange the order never interfered in political struggles but all its members focussed wholly on their spiritual betterment so they would be ready to fight once the day came.

 

Fubo was the best at her temple and she grew better every day.

 

She knew she would be ready once the dreaded war came - and if not she then no one would be.

 

There was only one thing Fubo seemed absolutely incapable of. No matter how often she meditated, how practised her calligraphy became, how many times she went through her katas - Fubo never was able to fully relax, to let go of the splinter of steel at the very core of her soul completely.

 

Her teachers loved Fubo and wished the best for her but it was hard for the girl who never laughed to find friends among the students.

 

She had teachers she respected. She had fellow acolytes she helped with their training - for one day they would all fight the great evil together.

 

She didn’t have an equal.

 

On the first day of spring in her fifteenth year in the temple everything changed though.

*

 

It wasn’t unusual for travelling parties to arrive with the melting of the snow. Travelling in winter was hard and avoided if at all possible. So after a long, dark, and uneventful season the inhabitants of the temple were grateful for any distraction that news from the outside world brought. So when the caravan drew close to the temple word spread around fast and almost everybody gathered around the gate to welcome the newcomers.

 

There were those within the temple’s walls who didn’t rush to watch the new arrivals - the cooks unable to leave the fires unattended. The youngest recruits in the middle of a training session who had to finish their katas before their teacher would allow them a break. And Fubo who continued her readings of Sensei Mashimoro’s prophecies, not because she was engrossed by them, but because her studies were more important than frivolous curiosity.

 

The delegation came from the temple at the coast - another bastion of their order and one with which they frequently exchanged news and goods, for the temple here in the plains could provide the sister temple with news from the southern provinces as well as meat and fruit only found in the fields and woods far from the sea and the coastal bastion could provide news from abroad as well as fish and nori.

 

Fubo only looked up when her abbot approached her.

 

“Diligence and effort are among our greatest efforts, little Fubo, but despite our sacred duty, we should never use them as an excuse to hide from life.”

 

Her mouth pinched as she bit back a protest. Her abbot was a friendly and wise man and deserved her respect. Fubo bowed deeply accepting the reprimand. Looking up she studied the girl next to her teacher, a beautiful young woman about her own age, wearing the acolyte’s robes. She had never seen her before so Fubo knew she had to have arrived with the temple’s delegation just now.

 

“Fubo - this is Utagado from the Mizu temple. Like you she was brought to our order because her destiny was foretold to lie with us. She is her own temple’s most promising acolyte and her abbess feels it would do Utagado good to broaden her horizon, to learn with us.”

 

Fubo bowed. “Will I be expected to travel to the Mizu temple in return?”

 

“No, Fubo, not now. The abbess and I feel it would do you both good to learn together and from each other. Your futures are inseparably interwoven and it would be best for the two of you to train together before the war begins.”

 

Fubo studied the young warrior more closely now. Utagado’s face was serious and gave little away. She stood at a respectful distance and studied Fubo the same way she was studied. She wasn’t here by choice but out of duty, something Fubo could respect. She bowed her head slightly as was customary among equals - a great honour towards a stranger which hadn’t proven herself to the greatest warrior of the Kuki temple.

 

“Welcome, Utagado.”

*

 

From that day on Fubo’s life changed. From now on she shared her chambers with the honoured guest instead of the girl who had slept on the second mat up until then.

 

Fubo had always worked hard. She had always been the best among the acolytes.

 

But for the first time in her life she now had to work to keep that position.

 

Fubo was stronger, yet Utagado moved more gracefully. 

 

Fubo was faster. Utagado was better at keeping a last reserve of energy at her disposal.

 

Fubo was better with the sword and Utagado beat her with the bow.

 

At first Fubo was furious. No one had ever beat her except her teachers. The Mizu acolyte seemed to do so almost effortlessly in various disciplines.

 

Utagado was serious and studious and humble - earning her the respect and love of her teachers and making things worse for Fubo. There was no objective reason for her ire against the beautiful girl who had come to live in her home and through her sheer presence threatened her position which she had worked for so hard.

 

For the whole of spring Fubo did everything to keep her irrational anger from showing. She worked harder than ever before only to keep up with Utagado and even those who knew her before noticed nothing odd. She had always been the girl who didn’t laugh, after all.

 

Her breaking point came when Utagado not only beat her in a wrestling match but afterwards broke into a bout of pearly laughter as if their competition was nothing but a game.

 

“Who do you think you are?!”

 

Utagado stopped laughing immediately. She stared at Fubo in silent shock.

 

“Isn’t it enough that you beat me? Do you have to humiliate me by laughing my failure in my face?” Fubo wouldn’t have expected it but tears of anger were accumulating in her eyes.

 

“Your failure?” The Mizo acolyte was stunned. “What failure? You fought extraordinarily.”

 

“And yet you beat me easily.”

 

Which resulted in another bout of laughter. “Fubo - I have never worked so hard to beat anybody in anything. No matter how hard I work, there are things in which I will never be able to reach your level. I have learned more here in the last few moons than I have learned in all the years in my own temple. You are magnificent, Fubo, and I laughed from pride and joy that for once I could keep up with you.”

 

Fubo was stunned into silence. She stared at the young woman she had viewed upon as her greatest opposition - as  a regular bane of her everyday life - and she realised that the challenge had gone both ways, that Utagado was her equal in more than just skill and potential.

 

Recognising her own foolishness, Fubo  - for the first time in years - laughed.

*

 

That summer Fubo learned more than how to fight better and how to read the portent signs of coming dangers.

 

That summer Fubo learned to swim and to play the lute and to draw sketches with charcoal to varying degrees of success. 

 

But most importantly Fubo learned how not to be lonely anymore.

*

 

When the lilac tree bloomed Utagato sighed at the cream coloured blossoms. “We don’t know such beauty at the Mizu temple.”

 

Fubo looked at the trees like many times before for the first time seeing them anew. “Don’t you have trees at the coast?”

 

Utagato laughed taking no offense at the question. “The sea is beautiful, but she is harsh as well. The salt in the air and water can only be weathered by more hardy plants. They are strong and frugal - their beauty is far less obvious.” A small smile played around her lips as she looked at the other girl. “Not that that is necessarily a bad thing.”

 

Fubo reached up and broke off one of the cream coloured blossoms, handing it to the Mizu girl without words.

 

Utagato smiled as she smelled the lilac. “Thank you.”

*

 

When the horse chestnut bloomed Utagato couldn’t believe a tree could produce such filigree beauty. “I need to sketch these so if I ever leave I will always have the picture to remind me of the reason why we need to win the upcoming war.”

 

“Shouldn’t we rather spend the time training?” Fubo wouldn’t admit it but Utagato’s eerie ability to catch the essence - the very soul of the things she sketched or painted filled her with a melancholy she didn’t dare to explain. The thought that such talent had to be cast aside, dreams ignored because of duty was a bitter one indeed. She had never known these kind of thoughts for herself and she pulled back from indulging such feelings as best as she could.

 

“We train our bodies and minds all the time, dear Fubo. But our spirits need nurture - we can’t win the upcoming war if our souls are withered.” She took a small bloom and put it behind Fubo’s ear. “Sit over there under the tree and enjoy the sun and the breeze, so I can capture strength and beauty in one picture.”

 

Fubo blushed and did as she was asked.

*

 

“Roses are said to be the most beautiful flowers in the world.” Utabato studied the temple’s garden. The year was going on and the flowers slowly began to wither sensing the oncoming fall.

 

Fubo shrugged. She secretly loved the cherry blossoms in spring and had learned to appreciate the beauty of many trees blooming yet she didn’t think too much of roses. “They are dying now.”

 

“It’s only a small death though - not  a real one. They not only have thorns to protect themselves they are also hardier than they look. It’s almost impossible for winter to truly kill them. Once the spring returns they will come alive again and be ready to greet summer in full bloom.” The Mizu acolyte looked at her friend. “It’s a hopeful thing - nothing will ever truly be lost and life and beauty will prevail.”

 

“So you think we will win the war?”

 

A sad smile played around Utagato’s rose coloured lips. “I’m not sure if we’ll survive or if we even win the upcoming battles. But I think in the end we can’t truly lose. The enemy is death but hope and life and beauty can never be defeated.”

 

Fubo thought her heart would have to burst from the sheer amount of longing those words caused her. Utagato was as beautiful in soul as she was in body and Fubo had never known another person who had touched her being just like this. Without realising it, she leaned in closer, hardly noticing Utagato’s fingers gently covering her hands. They looked into each other’s eyes. Fubo recognised the depths of the ocean she had never seen in the incredible mirrors of Utagato’s soul and Utagato almost lost herself in stormy whirlwind pools betraying Fubo’s troubled core.

 

It was the most natural thing in the world when their lips finally touched.

*

 

When autumn came the abbot approached Fubo and Utagato and praised them for their progress on the path to become true warriors and he sent them to travel together to the Mizu temple.

 

“You two have learned and grown together and Utagato has seen things she never knew at her home temple. It’s time Fubo opened her heart and mind to the ways of another place.”

 

“Will you order us apart?” The thought seemed unbearable to both of them.

 

“What would I achieve by breaking up the very thing that has enabled both of you to grow beyond our wildest hopes? You will travel together and Utagato can be your anchor in the strangeness of the Mizu temple as you were hers here.”

 

Both girls bowed deeply, hiding their relief behind respectful obedience. Whatever the future held, as long as they were allowed to face it together they knew they would find the courage to face it.

*

 

For two years Fubo and Utagato travelled the temples of their order, learning whatever they could preparing for a dark and brooding future and when the attack started they led the defense against the hordes of evil being an inspiration to all of their order.

 

In the first wave many cities were destroyed and many of the order fell defending the lives of the innocent.

 

They drove the intruders back but the costs were high and the survivors gathered behind the great wall of the capital city.

 

The old abbot of the Kuki temple called upon Fubo and Utagato and both warriors followed their sensei’s call.

 

“The oracles tell us a second wave of the attackers is close and it’s stronger and more desperate than the first wave. They soon will attack and nothing we have taught you will be able to stand before their might.”

 

Utagato took Fubo’s hand. They both remembered the roses and desperately hoped that those words spoken long ago would hold true. It seemed to be the only thing left to hope for.

 

“I have prayed many days that it wouldn’t come to this. That I wouldn’t have to ask this sacrifice of you yet the omens are clear.”

 

With tears in his eyes the abbot pulled his staff and struck at Utagato, a blow intended to kill.

 

Neither of them had foreseen this betrayal. Utagato might have been able to defend herself despite her surprise but she had long ago resigned herself to follow the order and wherever it would lead her so she did nothing.

 

The very instant when the abbot’s staff would have connected with the young warrior’s chest a blinding light appeared stopping the deadly blow. When they could see again they found Utagato hovering slightly above the ground holding a small rod in her hand. She spoke words in a language that made no sense to the abbot’s ear yet seemed strangely familiar to Fubo. A vision of ocean waves washed over Utagato and once the light and the vision died down there was a warrior in strange unfamiliar garments standing in her place.

 

“Called upon at a time of great need, arriving on the waves of destiny - I am Sailor Neptune.”

 

She turned toward her former teacher. “Don’t worry, respected abbot. I know it must have been hard to strike that blow but it was necessary to bring about this. You taught us too well and the enemy never posed enough danger to call upon this last resort.”

 

The old man weeped with relief that he hadn’t killed an innocent who trusted him, hadn’t brought the demise of one of his order’s greatest warriors.

 

Neptune turned toward Fubo. “Do you trust me?”

 

The young woman smiled. She would recognise her lover whatever form she might take. “With all my heart and soul.”

 

“Then let me show you in a slightly less dramatic fashion what you have to do.” And Neptune took Fubo’s hand.

 

Another light appeared as Fubo repeated the words Neptune taught her - words which still made no sense to the abbot. With the light a vision of a great wind came and once it died down a second warrior announced her identity.

 

“Called upon at a time of great need, arriving on the heavenly winds - I am Sailor Uranus.”

 

Uranus turned to look at the old man who had been as close to family as she had ever known in this life. “Don’t worry, sensei. The enemy now stands no chance - it will fall before us. You have taught us well and we will bring a new spring for the roses to grow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fubo - Wind guard  
> Utagado - Water guard


	6. Epilogue

Whenever Uranus slept, she dreamed. 

There weren’t all that many dreams. She was a warrior and a guardian and her duty seldom allowed her to rest. 

But sometimes dangers approached on different paths, windy paths not quite in this world and the only opportunity to fight off the intruders was to meet them at the end of their paths when they entered the world.

Neither Earth and nor Moon were her home but yet they were the places where those fragile beings came into existence that it was her duty to protect. When Uranus dreamed or when her duty demanded it, she took on the mantle of one of these short-lived, beautiful people and she walked among them as one of their own. Bound by such a body her powers, her knowledge, her memory were limited.

But whatever the circumstances there were two things Uranus always knew, always recognised. 

One of them was her duty - for a senshi can never fully forget who and what she is.

In the palace on her planet, Uranus had everything she needed but one thing. But in her dreams no matter if they were brought on by duty or by a desire to rest, in her dreams she always found the blue haired princess of Neptune who owned her heart.


End file.
